Archives for February 2017

You know what this world needs? More free trade agreements (and the inevitable, intended result: The one world government). Every morning, I wake up, turn on the news, and am so sorely disappointed to see that I am still not living in the United States of Planet Earth. It’s (current year) for goodness sake people! Don’t you want “progress”?

But seriously, the world currently boasts 41 multilateral free trade agreements, and so many bilateral free trade agreements that I cared not to count (I stopped counting at 175). With so many free trade deals on the table, you might be wondering “do we really have room for one more?”

Enter the “Trans Pacific Partnership” (TPP). A free trade deal to end all free trade deals. A free trade deal so big and so mighty that one would believe it were made in Texas (it was actually made in New Zealand). Once ratified, the TPP will be the greatest free trade deal in the history of forever. Well, at least it would have been before Donald Trump became the President of the United States. Despite all the cynical critics claiming that the office of POTUS would “moderate” him, the President made good on his election promise, within days of being inaugurated, and tore up the TPP.

“But hold on Harry… I thought free trade was a good thing?? And Trump is an idiot! I know it’s true because TV and career politicians told me so!”

Oh my poor brothers… As always, there is so much more than meets the eye. On the one hand, we have those very same career politicians, such as Australia’s own Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull applauding the TPP because it will “create jobs” (because, you know, he has such a great record creating jobs). On the other hand, we have President Trump and his posse of loyal blue-collars celebrating its demise, because it would have “taken away American jobs.”

“This TPP rubbish is just another gift-wrapped turd. It’s a money grabbing scam for those at the top.”

Free trade… No free trade… The cheerleaders on both sides of this argument are claiming that they are helping their nations and helping to create jobs. Who the hell are we supposed to listen to? Does anyone even know what’s going on anymore? It’s no wonder trust in the current political establishment is at an all time low when they feel as though they can say anything (and I mean literally anything) they please and expect us to follow. The TPP is yet another one of those instances where the will of the people is being ignored so that governments may feed that insatiable monster called crony capitalism.

What I find most interesting about the TPP, are not all the nations who have joined, but who hasn’t joined.

What is the TPP?…

The TPP originally began as the “Transpacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement” (TPSEP). It was a multilateral free trade deal between Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore, who subsequently became known as the “Pacific 4” (P4). After their FTA deal came in to effect in 2006, other nations expressed their desire to join, and before long, the P4 became the “P12” with the addition of Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, The United States, and Vietnam.

The official reason behind the TPP (as is the official reason behind all free trade deals), is to create a larger market place to do business. A larger market place means more consumers. More consumers means more is produced, which means more jobs, which means more money for everyone, and everyone wins!

Well… That’s the “official” story, at least.

But there is one question. One very important question which has been nagging me for quite some time… If the trans pacific partnership is an offer that is too good to refuse, then why did the People’s Republic of China refuse?

What is the TPP REALLY? (Rant)…

Short answer: It’s a way for the rich to get richer. THAT’S IT. Let’s be brutally honest. This TPP rubbish is just another gift-wrapped turd. It’s a money grabbing scam for those at the top. It has been sold to us as a miracle from the hand of Economy-God himself, so that we plebeians on the bottom (who incidentally are the very bricks and mortar of the economy) may find it more palatable, as we are being told, and lied to, that we will share in the economic growth.

Whenever our fearless leaders want to sell us a load of garbage like a new tax, budget cut, or a new trade deal, they use the same dirty marketing and sales techniques that the slimiest time-share or car salesman uses. DO NOT be fooled by their sweet words and the “too good to refuse” marketing strategies being employed. People spend years at university just to learn these skills. Don’t ever think that they are not being used against you.

Jobs and Growth…

“Jobs and Growth”… That was the slogan (more like a shopping list) that the Turnbull government used when handing down the 2016 budget. So did he deliver on his promise? Allow me to tear a new one into a man I seriously detest… Consider the fact that Turnbull’s “solution” to unemployment and getting people back to work was to slash and burn welfare benefits. This ended up forcing unemployed people to find work in a “sink or swim” situation (a move which turned out to be ineffective, as Australia’s unemployment rate currently stands at a 6 month high of 5.8%).

Also, consider the fact that for years, even as opposition leader, the only idea Turnbull had to raise revenue and fix the budget black hole was to increase taxes on cigarettes… Does this sound like a man you can trust to deliver “jobs and growth?” Does this sound like a man whose opinion is even worth listening to with regards to the world’s largest free trade agreement? Of course, the answer is NO.

But Turnbull isn’t the only cheerleader for the TPP who should justifiably be ignored. Across the Pacific Ocean, President Obama was the only president in U.S. history who has never delivered even a single year of +3% GDP growth. So when these two buffoons start talking about the “benefits” of free trade and all the jobs it will create, I suggest that you receive it with a lot of healthy skepticism. Believe at your own risk.

If you would check out the comments on my last article, it’s painfully obvious what the Australian people want: We want more protectionist policies. We want to keep manufacturing jobs right here at home. We are confident in our ability to be self-sufficient. But alas, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has a different opinion on the intelligence and capabilities of his constituents and fellow countrymen.

That Chinese Attitude…

Regardless of what you may think of the People’s Republic and the Chinese people, you must admit that they are very clever. When entering into a trade deal, the Chinese always make sure it is on their terms. They do not enter into an agreement unless they are in control.

China currently boasts over 150,000 “State Owned Enterprises” (SOE’s). What this means is, when you’re doing business with Chinese companies, you’re doing business with the Chinese State. The SOE’s of China are given all kinds of assistance from subsidies to lower interest rates on loans, creating a situation where our domestic companies simply cannot compete against the Chinese, and so the inevitable result is that we end up importing Chinese goods.

China uses this system to always ensure that their own domestic manufacturing jobs are secured and created. The terms of the TPP did not allow companies to receive any unfair advantage from their respective nations, however it did allow companies to sue foreign governments if they enact legislation which “harms their investments,” so of course, being in a position of so little control, China was not willing to play.

You have to have a grudging respect for the Chinese. We are being shanked in our FTA with them, however they are putting their own people first, just as governments should… They are definitely winning this economic war, so is it any wonder that President Trump is entering a so-called “trade war” with China?

Free trade agreements definitely have their place in the world… If used correctly. Giving businesses free reign to do as they please in an FTA, with little to no accountability, is a recipe for disaster, as they are only interested in their own profits. Outsourcing of labour, crowding out smaller businesses, exploiting lax labour laws in foreign countries, and reduced tax revenue, are all the result of our FTAs, because we never approached them with that Chinese attitude… We never had that winners mind set, where we planned how we could best exploit the agreement to benefit our own people. While the Chinese were ensuring the future of their own industries, we were only thinking of all the cheap TVs and refrigerators we could now buy.

No wonder we got shanked…

Harrison Stamoudis is a freelance writer from Melbourne, Australia. After a lifetime of being praised for his intellect and being told “you can do anything you want”, he was doomed to grow up without guidance and direction (it’s difficult to pick a door when they are all open for you). Aimlessly wandered from one job to the next, he struggled to pick a path and stick to it. Harrison often had to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet and the work history list on his resume is a little longer than he cares to mention. Harrison is currently in the process of completing higher education (for a third time) so that he may make his next major career change, this time civil engineering.

This week, I celebrated my third biggest achievement; I moved into my own studio apartment. It’s small, but not too small. It’s expensive, but not so expensive that I can’t still afford to eat. Most importantly, it’s mine. All mine. I’m calling it my Canal Beach House, because of it’s proximity to the famous Venice Canal District, and Silicon Beach, right here in Venice, California.

I’m not going to go into the ins and outs of the costs, because I believe this is an exclusively relative factor in everyone’s lives. I am currently Underemployed. I am also currently broke.

My medical insurance renewal, taxes, and move, all come within three months of each other, meaning that the concept of saving money over the next quarter is basically impossible. Also, two of my regular jobs have all but slowed to a snail’s pace. Therefore, I was tasked with the dreaded ordeal of moving my house with basically no money, and no time to waste in getting myself more work.

In this How To, I will attempt to adequately explain to you, my dear Underemployed peers, how to move home on a budget, whilst also being underemployed.

“Learn how to handle your fucking money without getting into debt or living like a monk, or worse, shitting it all away on NOTHING”

Two thousand years ago, a man could travel the known world freely, saying nothing but “civis Romanus sum:” I am a citizen of Rome. So powerful was the the name of the Roman Empire that it instilled respect – well, mostly fear – in anyone who dared to attack one of its citizens.

The United States of America may not have inherited the Roman’s desire for conquest, but it’s not an exaggeration to say that if there were a modern equivalent to the empire, it would be the USA. We have the greatest and most powerful military on the planet, capable of being deployed anywhere within a day. Our nation’s wealth compels others to learn English, making it the unofficial international language. Our influence in culture, art, and entertainment – no doubt propelled by the economy – reaches all corners of the Earth.

As an American traveling the globe, one might assume I enjoy the same protections to which a citizen of Rome felt entitled. My first experience abroad certainly reinforced this worldview. I had traveled to Beijing with my parents to visit my brother, who was there studying Chinese. When my father accidentally broke his glasses – well, had them slip off, and stepped on them – we ventured off to one of the many nondescript streets of Beijing.

“It became clear to me, rather quickly, that despite me just being a kid from Texas living in Japan, I was acting as an unofficial representative of the United States. Whether anyone abroad is willing to accept it or not, this is always the case.”

Before we get into this, I just want to say that if you are a shitty employee, this piece isn’t meant for you. I’m not out here trying to enable anyone. If you show up late constantly, don’t do the work you’re supposed to do, and force everyone around you to pick up your slack, your boss has a right to come down on you like a breeze block of pain.

Your coworkers also probably hate you, even though they won’t tell you to your face. When you thank that one co-worker for covering for you for the 8th time that week, they really want to stab you. Someone should yell at you.

Is Your Boss A Total Dick?

I’m not talking about bosses who are justifiably angry at truly bad employees. This is about bosses who are impossible to predict, impossible to please, cheat you out of pay, set you up to fail, and then punish you for failing. They look for opportunities to humiliate and debase everyone around them and pull horrifying shit regularly.

“In a lot of ways, Donald Trump might represent the revenge a lot of older people want to take on us.”

Unpaid internships. They’re a controversial practice, and for good reason. Detractors say unpaid internships are exploitative, often without tangible benefits, and take advantage of workers competing in a poor labor market. Supporters of the practice argue that, though the employee makes no money, it offers in exchange, a chance for someone to gain experience, and a foothold into their career of choice. Sounds reasonable (Psst-not really-we think it sounds like bullshit mostly)

The big question surrounding unpaid internships is are they fair, ethical, or even legal. We chose as our clip of the week, a video that goes through some of the pro and cons of the unpaid internship market. It’s short, but evenhanded. Enjoy.

Full disclosure – I was a vocal Global Warming skeptic back in the 90’s. As a conservative debater, when the policy topic was renewable energy, it was in my interests to learn every argument against it. Much like an oil company funding ‘alternative research,’ or a voter who wants to believe they know more than the scientists, I wrote it off. I wanted to believe that pumping massive amounts of CO2 and methane into our atmosphere wasn’t the catastrophe the liberal intelligentsia and tree-hugging activists said it was. The only problem with my opinion: it was dead wrong.

I hope I might help persuade some people that Climate Change is a real, terrible threat. It faces our planet’s entire population, and especially those of us who aren’t obscenely rich. If a die-hard skeptic like me can be convinced, I hope skeptical readers can also realize the profound danger we’re facing.

So, I’ll try to convince the skeptics that it’s real, to motivate the apathetic that it will seriously wound their lives, and to show that there really are cost-effective, fair, common sense solutions. The biggest stumbling block to implementing them is that the people who will be hurt most, aren’t rich. In fact, many rich folks are intent on ignoring the problem, and they control our government.

“Who are you going to believe? Innocent big oil, or all those corrupt scientists and crooked drowning polar bears?”

Unless you’re a charming Brit like me, there’s no nice way to tell someone to get lost and not lose them as a friend. As a Brit, I made a pretty massive mistake in one particular life choice. I moved to California…

It’s just so awful here. It never rains. The people are wonderful. And there is always something to do. Dreadful. Dreadful. Dreadful.

I’m joking. Obviously.

This issue actually relates more to how others view my life choices. In making the decision to follow my dreams and live in Southern California, I brought everyone I love with me. Not physically, but I implanted the idea that SoCal is a holiday destination-to my friends, that is, who would have otherwise just gone to Spain, France, or maybe Croatia. Croatia is actually an amazing holiday destination, and I highly recommend it. Go there. Please, go there instead of here.

Again, joking. Sort of.

I can’t wait for my friends to come and visit. Unlike all of my friends who moved to France, I am neither retired nor a ski instructor, so my spare time is a lot less frequent than one might assume. This has a wealth of issues that go along with it, which I’ve written into small bite size pieces below for all of you to read at your leisure…

I have been searching and searching for what is at the center of my hatred for Donald J. Trump.

There are the obvious things: his stupid voice, his stupid hair, his idiotic phrasing, his over generalizing about pretty much all identity groups. His lies. His fake money, fake university, fake steak, and fake tan. I hate his sexual aggression most of all. He is the embodiment of many disgusting and silly things, and there are scores of people who hate and pity him as I do. I see the contempt splashed across my Facebook and Twitter accounts every day.

Although he hasn’t directly threatened them, I’ve been paying close attention to (liberal) men. Specifically white, specifically straight, and specifically cisgendered. They hate him, too. With fervor. This hatred and disgust was hopeful to me at first—yes! They are seeing how terrible this kind of behavior is! Maybe they’ll understand what the rest of us have had to deal with for millennia! Maybe things will change! Maybe! Maybe! And then…some things did.

When Trump was elected, I got a lot of calls and texts from these men, wondering how I was coping. I had great conversations with them. I felt stronger. They assured me they would donate to Planned Parenthood, and we all agreed we could be better at fighting racial injustice.

But something still wasn’t right. I think a part of me was expecting a critical shift in our culture. A drawing out of the poison. But what is the poison? What is this visceral, essential, nameless thing I have known my whole life? And then, after months of circling around it, it came to me. Or I came to it.

Inflexibility. For months, we were subjected to Trump’s (and the rest of his administration’s) inflexibility, which is perhaps inextricable with his narcissism. It sounded like this:

No, I will not take criticism, and in fact I will go so far as to say none of it is true, and degrade the media in the process. No, I will not ask for consent or respect your answer if you don’t give it. I will make Mexico pay for this wall and that is the end of it. We are doing this. You are doing this. This is happening. This is the truth.

Now, we will be subjected to it for the next four years (ostensibly). This brand of inflexibility is appalling in a world leader, but it also feels deeply personal. Noxiously familiar. It is the mysterious, primordial, destructive force I have felt pressed on me my whole life.

There’s a familiar refrain that’s been going around both sides of the political aisle for a number of years. No matter your background, financial status, race, gender, or politics…no one feels like they’re being heard.

Trump supporters argue – correctly, as it turns out – that the main reason he won the election wasn’t because liberals were unable to energize apathetic members or eligible voters, but due to how angry and disenfranchised they felt. These people were identified as the Silent Majority, implying most Americans must be suffering in the same way, but had been unable to make their voices heard until now.

Now that Trump is in power, liberals and sane people seem to be the Silent Majority. We see injustice and illegal actions, and scream at the top of our lungs about conflicts of interest, abuse of power, and white supremacists undermining our democracy.

“Let’s get something out in the open: if you support Trump, you’re on the wrong side of history. You’re on the wrong side of the present.”

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but something terrible is going on. And no, I’m not talking about the recent election of Donald Trump. I’m not even talking about the more recent “travel ban” or whatever they’re calling it these days. No, I’m talking about the “generation wars,” and the terrible reputation Millennials have thanks to our parents and Gen Xers. Now, I just want to put this out there from the start-yes I am a Millennial, but no, I’m not here to beat up on earlier generations. My hope is to offer some perspective, as many other writers have aimed to do on this topic.

You may think the generation wars are over, and that Millennials, Baby Boomers, and even Gen Xers are all making nice. Well, I decided to perform a little “experiment” following in the footsteps of this article, published a year ago, to see if that’s true.

One quick google search later and….

Nope. Not true.

Just to give you a little backstory about me, I am a millennial. I was born in the late 80s and got my first job when I was 17, as a junior in high school. I worked that job for 7 years. It took me through high school and college. I went to college straight after graduation (yes that’s right, no breaks). I moved out of my parent’s home by my sophomore year and never returned. I’ve been supporting myself by working a full time job and running a couple of businesses on the side.

I certainly don’t fit the mold of “lazy and entitled.” The funny thing is, despite popular belief, most of us don’t. However, I feel a sense of responsibility to defend my fellow Millennials who may have made different choices. The ones who may have stayed home longer or took a few breaks. Their decisions are no better or worse than mine. We’re all trying to navigate this situation we’ve been born into, and it hasn’t been easy.

“…why does our unwillingness to sit quietly and “suck it up,” equal lazy or entitled?”